LED Bulb Retrofit - Part I: Cabin

1stSeaRay

1stSeaRay

New Member
Aug 25, 2008
375
Lake Lanier, GA
Boat Info
boatless
Engines
boatless
I installed LED bulbs in all the fixtures in the cabin this week. I ordered my LEDs from LED Wholesalers I choose to use them over superbright because they listed light output in lumens for all of their products.

One of my primary concerns was getting bulbs that would be bright enough, and having lumen output listed made choosing much easier.

I ordered mine in warm white (over the standard cool white) to keep the color temperature close to that of the halogen and tungsten bulbs being replaced. The warm white has a slightly lower light output compared to the cool white for the same bulb

I needed 3 different types of bulb for the cabin:

1141(1156) replacement for surface mount fixtures in the head, mid berth, and over the closet in the main cabin.
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BA15s warm White 8-30V DC&12V AC 9LED 2Watt 126 Lumen

G4 replacement for galley light
AutomotiveLED1_1.jpg

G4 Base 18 Warm White LED 183 Lumen 360 degree 12V ACDC

G4 replacement for reading lights in V-berth
1411WH_1.jpg

G4 warm White 12V AC/DC15 LED 1.44 Watt 75 Lumen

The pictures below are before and after shots, the camera was set to manual mode so the shutter & apeture settings were the same for both images.

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IMG_4211.jpg
IMG_4213.jpg

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side by side, 10w halogen on left - 1.44w LED on right

As you can see the LED is slightly dimmer that the stock bulbs.

Overall I'm very pleased with the results, and the new bulbs consume approximately 1/8th the power of the original bulbs (84w total vs 11.5w total). The power savings is nice, however in my situation, I'm mostly looking forward to the reduction in heat. My AC works hard enough when the temp is 110º+ and the stock bulbs would get quite hot.


I just ordered the bulbs today to do the cockpit & bilge lights, I'll do a Part II once I get those installed.
 
Thanks for the post - I have noticed the LED bulbs are not as bright. Nice write up & photos.
 
Thanks for the photos. That REALLY helps with my decision as well. The only thing I am not sure about is if the cabin lights on my 97 330 are the same as yours and my boat is a couple hours drive away so I can't check till two weeks from now.
 
Great post ,thank you...do you find the head BA15s to be as bright as the stock bulbs?
 
The pictures above are a very accurate representation of the difference between the LED and the stock bulbs. The LED I used in the head is slightly dimmer than the 1141 bulb it replaced. In my opinion is it still plenty bright. If you were thinking of doing some dental work in there and needed it to be brighter they do make some bulbs that have a higher output.
 
Great write up and the comparisons are very helpful. I noticed you used "warm white" I imagine the normal white would be brighter if that's a concern to anyone. I think I like the warm white. I have similiar reading lights and was wondering how do you get the covers off?
 
To get the covers off the reading lights, grab the plastic housing in one hand, and the frosted lens in the other. Twist the lens and it will pop off. It will feel like its going to break but it will pop off. To replace just push it back on.
 
Bridog said:
Great write up and the comparisons are very helpful. I noticed you used "warm white" I imagine the normal white would be brighter if that's a concern to anyone. I think I like the warm white. I have similiar reading lights and was wondering how do you get the covers off?
Click to expand...

If your lights are like my 320 - the lens has a slit in them - just slide a paperclip or small screwdriver in there and the lens pops out - the bulb is a wedge style bulb.
 
Excellent and useful post - thanks!

I am also in the process of replacing all of my lights with LEDs. I ordered replacements for my cockpit and bridge lights over the winter (SuperbrightLEDs) and installed the bulbs a week ago. I am extremely pleased and will continue the migration with the other lights on the boat. I've become fixated on cutting back unnecessary power drains on my inverter set-up.

Paul
 
I just got my "new to me" 44DA 2007. So far could not be happier, only thing I noticed is that the cabin is not quite "bright" enough - think its because I have the full Matte Finish on all my wood coupled with the dark corian - very little reflection. Have friends with the gloss finish and the boats seem much brighter. Anyone think upgrading the bulbs to the LED would help, and would you reccomend the soft white (dont want it to be daylight, just a little less "cave like"). Thanks.
 
Very helpful post. I am considering doing the same for both heat and power usage. I read in some magazine a while ago that you should change the fuses if switching from incandescent to LED lights, but there was no explanation of why. It made no sense to me unless a new fixture with smaller wiring was used. In your application where the fixture was not changed, but just the bulb, it really makes no sense to me (but I am no electrician). Have you ever run across any concerns or explanation on the fuse issue, or did your bulb supplier send them with any warnings of any kind?
 
Todd, The fuse is there to protect the circuit. Assuming that when Sea Ray built the boat, they sized the fuse appropriately for the wires they installed there should be no need to change it.

If there was a problem with one of the bulbs and it started drawing excessive current, the fuse should fail before any of the wiring.

Of course, when dealing with electricity your mileage may vary, void where prohibited, at participating locations only, at your own risk, batteries not included, packed by weight not by volume, some assembly required, not recommended for children, no farm animals were harmed in the making of this post, and of course....stupid is as stupid does.
 
Todd Indy said:
Very helpful post. I am considering doing the same for both heat and power usage. I read in some magazine a while ago that you should change the fuses if switching from incandescent to LED lights, but there was no explanation of why. It made no sense to me unless a new fixture with smaller wiring was used. In your application where the fixture was not changed, but just the bulb, it really makes no sense to me (but I am no electrician). Have you ever run across any concerns or explanation on the fuse issue, or did your bulb supplier send them with any warnings of any kind?
Click to expand...

It's really quite simple Todd. Your new led lighting circuit will draw a lot less power than the original fixtures. Using your multi-meter, set it on the appropriate amps scale and connect it in series within the circuit. This can be done by removing the circuit's wire at the DC fuse panel and connect that wire to one of the meter's leads & the other lead would be connected to the DC panel fuse terminal. Turn on the breaker and take note of the amperage draw. Set your meter scale on the lowest possible scale for a more accurate reading. Select a fuse rated as close to the amp meter reading, but no less than what the amp meter indicated. I hope that I explained it clear enough for you. Circuits for motor loads may require larger fuses to compensate for initial start-up current surge.

You can use this same procedure to check out whether your other circuits are not over-fused. When there is a fault, you want the fuse to open quickly without heating up your circuit's wiring. The fuses are there to protect all components within the circuit against damage that can eventually cause excessive heat which can potentially cause fire or explosion.

~Ken
 
Creekwood said:
Thanks for the photos. That REALLY helps with my decision as well. The only thing I am not sure about is if the cabin lights on my 97 330 are the same as yours and my boat is a couple hours drive away so I can't check till two weeks from now.
Click to expand...

Yes they will fit your 330. Just replaced mine. Make sure you get the 75 Lumen 15 LED G4 bulb as they fit in there perfect. You might be able to get the 144 Lumen 18LED G4 bulb in there as they are only slightly wider. The 18LED will be a lot brighter too.

I used these in my cockpit lights. My lights are Atwood dual B15 sockets on my 330. It was a bit tight but they fit OK. The other B15 styles won't fit due to the lack of depth in the fixture.

http://www.ledwholesalers.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=340
 
One word of caution with LEDS. I replaced all my lights with these. They are larger and heavier than the halogen ones they replaced. They fit fine, however, on a recent trip in the Ocean with moderate pounding one of thess came out and rested on the clear plastic cover. I'm hoping I just didn't push it in enough when I first put them in but I'll find out for sure on my next Ocean voyage. It "could" be an issue. Just a heads up. Anyone else have this happen?
 
Algeria: Did I understand you correctly? Did you use the 15mm LED to replace the Attwood cockpit lights? When I measure the attwood, they are 1/2 inch socket (~13 mm)?



Alegria said:
Yes they will fit your 330. Just replaced mine. Make sure you get the 75 Lumen 15 LED G4 bulb as they fit in there perfect. You might be able to get the 144 Lumen 18LED G4 bulb in there as they are only slightly wider. The 18LED will be a lot brighter too.

I used these in my cockpit lights. My lights are Atwood dual B15 sockets on my 330. It was a bit tight but they fit OK. The other B15 styles won't fit due to the lack of depth in the fixture.

http://www.ledwholesalers.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=340
Click to expand...
 
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